Tour diary: Celebrating Sammy Davis Jr
There is arguably no song at any of our shows that is more popular than Mr Bojangles. From that first whispered word, the atmosphere in the room becomes almost palpable. It’s reduced audiences up and down the country to tears. So, it was perhaps inevitable that we’d add a few more Sammy Davis Jr numbers to our setlist. What was probably less expected, however, was to put together a whole show celebrating the man himself, and take it on a (very limited) tour on his centenary year. But that’s what we like to do at Down for the Count: mix the inevitable with some delightful surprises!
Our limited tour only took in five cities: Nottingham, Manchester, Bristol, London and Cambridge. But we had the whole gang – and we mean the whole gang, all 30 of our Swing Orchestra – along for the ride. As well as some of our Rat Pack favourites, the setlist included some of Sammy’s duets with beloved collaborators, such as the hit Me and My Shadow with Frank Sinatra, and Two Sleepy People with Carmen McRae.
Lydia and Marvin, two gifted people
The latter song produced another welcome surprise: pianist Alex Howgego on the accordion! Aside from demonstrating the versatility of the talented instrumentalists in the Swing Orchestra, this was a lesson in being wary of what you confess to conductor-arranger Mike in a late-night Travelodge bar hang. Alex will know not to reveal any further talents in future, but he learned the hard way and was made an example of.
Alex, who made the fatal error of admitting to Mike that he played the accordion
Me and My Shadow, on the other hand, saw a consistent swapping of singer pairings through the mini-tour, which kept us all on our toes (including the singers, I presume). One night had Max and Marvin, another Marvin and Simon, another Callum and Max… And Lydia lent her vocals to all configurations of Act 1 closer The Rhythm of Life, Sammy’s rousing and surreal number in the musical Sweet Charity. The key figure in any lineup for this particular song, however, must surely be Callum’s tambourine, a constant roadie on any tour, whether it gets an outing or stage or not.
Is Callum (left) Max’s shadow, or is Max (right) Callum’s shadow?
Another highlight of the show was It Ain’t Necessarily So from Porgy and Bess, which went from opera house to bayou. There was some downright dirty trumpet playing punctuating Marvin’s rich clear notes – sensational.
The setlist underwent a crucial transformation after our first performance in Nottingham, where an audience member suggested to Mike that we add to the mix one of Sammy Davis Jr’s most affecting and profound covers: Ol’ Man River. The classic tune from Show Boat never fails to send a shiver down the spine, but when Marvin Muoneké performed it at the altar of St George’s in Bristol, the atmosphere in the room was once again undeniably palpable. Those who could even muster the strength and balance to stand after that performance leapt from their seats. It was electric. We have a feeling Ol’ Man River may remain in our repertoire for a while…
Watch a short clip of Marvin performing Ol’ Man River in Bristol:
Look, all our stops on this tour were great. Even with the smaller crowds in Nottingham and Manchester, our audiences were sensational and showed us a lot of love. But there was an extra magic to the Bristol gig – definitely something in the water that day. It was, let’s not forget (and I doubt we ever will) where the improvised jazz number of the set got swerved down unexpected avenues. It’s a given that an improvised number will contain surprises – after all, it’s even a surprise for the people playing it. But the surprises in this one went stratospheric when reeds player Chris, who led the whole thing, decided now was the time to try out other sections’ instruments too. So he gave Ed’s trombone a go, then had a bash at James’ drumkit, then Alex’s piano and accordion, before Mike handed him the magic wand with which to conduct the string section. It was delightful chaos. The orchestra was giddy with glee, the audience in stitches.
Chris (on saxophone here), who improvised playing as many instruments as he could
We also had some surprises of the unwelcome variety. In the fine city of Cambridge, where we sadly (and not for the first time, it’s been noted) failed to go punting before the gig, we found ourselves short of stewards! Quite the crisis when it could mean the show would literally not be able to go on. For a tense hour, it was looking likely that singer Lydia would have to perform There’s No Business Like Show Business at a travelling circus in the Wild East. Thankfully, between 30 members of an orchestra, a backstage team and some local contacts, the required stewards were sourced and no accordions had to be packed onto a caravan heading for the M11.
Bristol, where there seemed to be something in the water.
All in all, this brief summer sojourn with the Swing Orchestra was not only a chance for old friends to reunite and make beautiful musical moments together on stage again, but also served as a reminder that the Christmas tour isn’t as far off as this unexpectedly seasonal heat would have us believe. It’s always an absolute treat to watch this mega-talented bunch of people play and sing together, so I almost have to stop myself wishing the months away till next time. For now, I think they all deserve a good rest (fat chance of that), and to give themselves a pat on the back for creating a beautiful tribute to one of the world’s shining stars: Sammy Davis Jr.
Cambridge, where we were not on the water.
About the author
Polis Loizou-Denyer is Down for the Count's marketing and communications officer. Though it's a long time since he played an instrument himself, he likes to keep creative with his own writing, performing, theatre making, filmmaking and oral storytelling.
